Kseniia Petrova: Trump administration seeks to deport Russian scientist | World News

Harvard scientist Kseniia Petrova was detained in February

The Trump administration is in search of to deport a Harvard scientist to her house nation of Russia, which she fled fearing political persecution, her lawyer informed AFP Wednesday.

Kseniia Petrova, a researcher at Harvard Medical School, was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in February upon returning to the United States from a trip in France.According to a legal grievance filed February 16, Petrova was stopped by customs officers at a Boston airport for allegedly failing to declare organic samples she had in her baggage.She was subsequently informed her visa was revoked and she or he could be despatched again to Russia.“It is true, the government is trying to deport Kseniia,” Gregory Romanovsky, Petrova’s lawyer, mentioned in an e mail to AFP.“She will have an opportunity to present her asylum claim and we do not expect a decision on her deportation case anytime soon,” he added.According to the legal grievance, Petrova informed authorities she feared she could be arrested if she returned to Russia for her participation in political protests.“We’ll continue to fight for Kseniia’s freedom, as well as her immigration status in the US,” Romanovsky mentioned.Since his return to the White House in January, US President Donald Trump has cracked down on immigration, pushing to step up deportations, together with of migrants in greater schooling.The administration has moved to revoke visas and deport overseas college students concerned in protests, accusing them of supporting Palestinian militant group Hamas, whose October 7, 2023 assault on Israel provoked the conflict.It has additionally threatened a number of top-tier universities with funding freezes and different punishments, together with Harvard University, prompting considerations over declining educational freedom.